Abraham Lincoln was apparently one of those men who regarded connubial bliss as an untenable fantasy. During the Civil War, he pardoned a Union soldier who had deserted the army to return home to wed his sweetheart. As the president signed a document sparing the soldier's life, Lincoln said: I want to punish the young manprobably in less than a year he will wish I had withheld the pardon.

Based on thirty years of research,An American Marriagedescribes and analyzes why Lincoln had good reason to regret his marriage to Mary Todd. This revealing narrative shows that, as First Lady, Mary Lincoln accepted bribes and kickbacks, sold permits and pardons, engaged in extortion, and peddled influence. The reader comes to learn that Lincoln wed Mary Todd because, in all likelihood, she seduced him and then insisted that he protect her honor. Perhaps surprisingly, the 52 Mrs. Lincoln often physically abused her 64 husband, as well as her children and servants; she humiliated her husband in public; she caused him, as president, to fear that she would disgrace him publicly. Written byMichael Burlingame. Paperback; 310 pages.

#21102219